Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from Gal. 1. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- For us personally, there is no greater issue than “DEATH AND LIFE.” We understand that there are issues that are of greater importance than our personal issues, larger purposes, principles, and movements for which we are willing perhaps to lay down our lives. However, the matter of our own existence – our living or dying – is of highest importance to us personally.
- Everyone is concerned about “really living” – getting the most out of life and maximizing the time that we have to live in this world. Unfortunately, with the entrance of sin into the world, it has been quite easy to trick and fool people into thinking that they are “really living” when in fact they are dead, spiritually and morally.
- And sadly, those who are spiritually and morally dead always spread death to others. Take as an example sexual immorality and the spread of sexually transmitted disease, not to mention the murders that take place because of jealousy in these matters. Consider also what the sexually immoral think appropriate when a pregnancy occurs – the destruction of their own child through abortion. Or consider the misery and death that results from greed – the rich having more than they need, and the poor having little to nothing, including lack of proper nutrition and health care.
- We see in our text that the source of all such culture of death is unbelief and rejection of the love of God in Christ Jesus. And though people try to isolate this issue of unbelief from their other “values” and their lifestyle, and consider matters of faith and unbelief to be simply differences of opinion, in reality:
I. Unbelief Is In Fact Living Death – Resulting In Violence And Persecution Of God
Text: “You have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. . . But when He Who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.”
Statement: Prior to faith in Christ, Paul thought it reasonable to persecute and kill Christians. Indeed, he was zealous and ambitious for this violence and death. This continued on until he was called to faith in Jesus Christ – but his conversion to faith immediately ended his pursuit of death, and turned him around, and reoriented him to love, decency, and life!
Application: It is no different today. Those who are yet to know and believe in Christ Jesus, regardless of how “pious” they try to appear, in fact pursue persecution of Jesus, of God, and of His dear children of faith. They may find greater pleasure in making God’s people miserable than in killing them, but they are living the principles of death.
Transition: Thankfully, God does not desire to leave us in such a miserable and pathetic state of being, but rather:
II. God Calls Us All To Faith In Jesus, And Resurrects Us To Newness Of Life
A. He Does So By Revealing His Son To Us – Through His Word And Sacraments
1 Pet. 1:23 “You were born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible seed – by the Word of God which lives and abides forever.”
Rom. 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
Jesus’ Words: “this is My body . . . this is My blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”
B. Through This Faith He Gives Us Eternal Life And Newness Of Life
John 3:36; 5:24 “He that believes the Son has everlasting life. . . . whoever hears My Word and believes Him Who sent Me has eternal life. He shall not come into condemnation but has passed from death to life.”
2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
C. By This Newness Of Life God Renews Our Lives In Service To Him – In Service Of Real Life
Text: “I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, ‘He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they glorified God because of me.”
Statement: Paul’s conversion was viewed as a miracle – a remarkable and dramatic change. The change not only meant life from death for Paul, spiritually and morally, it also meant life for those whom Paul formerly persecuted and sought to kill. Even more, it meant life for those who came to know and believe God’s love through the preaching and teaching of Paul – as he spread the life-giving Word of God throughout the Gentile world.
Application: It is no different with us. Our conversion to faith in Christ was a miracle, the work of God in our baptism and through His Word of life, the Gospel of Jesus. Our conversion was a change from death to life for us, and made everyone around us far safer! And our conversion to faith in Jesus, and to life, also means that our lives are now lived for the life of the world, for the conversion of others from death to life – through faith in Jesus. This is our principle goal and desire in life, that others might also come to life by knowing God’s great love for us in Christ Jesus! We too have been called to life, and to be “life-givers” in service to God and Christ. Yes, we still work and live, but our chief purpose in life – that which we are willing to give our lives to, is the ministry of the Gospel, that others too may have life in Christ!
Conclusion: We should understand this to be the only hope for the people of the world around us – who will continue pursuing death and destruction so long as they are spiritually and morally dead in unbelief. Only Christ gives life – which should be each person’s greatest desire, for it is life for them. And only Christ preserves life, and so we should desire that as many as possible might receive resurrection to newness of life through faith in Jesus!
This is now our chief service as Christians – our service to God and our service to the world, to all people around us! Pray that Christ place the same love and compulsion within us as that which infected the apostle Paul through his conversion to faith in Jesus!
And let us pray for the people around us who continue to languish in death – many of whom believe that they are really living; but what they live is in reality a living death! May we have the same zeal and ambition for their lives as Paul had for death as an unbeliever. May God grant such zeal to all of His dear children of faith. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.